Timeline
MY SO-CALLED TIMELINE This timeline chronicles the events which take place in the My So-Called Life Universe. The events of My So-Called Life take place in “real” time using our modern calendar. Every attempt was made to reconcile the dates of the events of each episode with real time. First, if any date is actually mentioned in an episode, such as Halloween, then it is of course placed on that day in the timeline. Next, sometimes the actual day of the week is mentioned, or a day later in the week where an event is to occur, such as The Grateful Dead concert being on the upcoming Thursday. These dates are placed as such for their reference points. Also, dates are placed, following these rules for any actual date or day references, as close as possible to the original airdate of the episode. A major problem occurred when reconciling the dates for the episode The Substitute. The events of this episode take place over two weeks and due to anchored dates given in episodes before and after left only a week in which to place this episode. Therefore, creative license had to be employed to layer the dates with the previous episode. It had to be pushed back and not forward as forward causes too many conflicts with the next two episodes. A few times the clothing Angela was wearing matched up and other times we must submit that she changed clothes a couple times a day during that period. Pushing the dates back only caused conflicts with the episode The Zit due to that episode's appearance of another English substitute (teaching The Metamorphosis). Therefore, a couple previous episodes were pushed back as well and layered into the weeks before. It is not known on which date Liberty High School begins their school-year. However, many schools begin around the last week of August and the Pilot episode was aired on August 25, 1994. The Pilot establishes some background in that Angela had been friends with Rayanne for a while and this and other episodes establish other “common knowledge” facts about other students which Angela would need at least that first week or so to have learned. Therefore, August 25 would have been too early to place as the date for Day 1 of the Pilot episode. This is why August 30 was chosen. Other dates of events which are mentioned but not specifically shown in the episodes are also given in the timeline. Events where a general time period (e.g. “2 years ago...”) are also listed. Dates which have been conjectured based on outside or other information are listed and noted as such. 1928 February 22 – Birth of Chuck Wood. (Conjecture based on the age of Paul Dooley.) 1931 September 13 – Birth of Vivian. (Conjecture based on the age of Barbara Bain.) 1946 Birth of Nicholas Driscoll. (Halloween) 1948 November 5 – Chuck Wood marries Vivian. (Other People's Mothers) 1949 November 7 – Birth of Mr. Foster. (Conjecture based on the age of Bennet Guillory.) 1951 Birth of Amber's sister. (Conjecture based on her having ridden on Nicky Driscoll's bike at age 12) 1953 December 11 – Birth of Patricia Wood (Conjecture based on Patty's bio of being 40 years old in 1994. December 11, 1953 is the birthdate of Bess Armstrong.) 1954 May 25 – Birth of Amber Vallon. (Conjecture based on assumption of Amber being 40 years old at the beginning of the series. May 25, 1951 is the birthdate of Patti D'Arbanville.) June 1 – Birth of Graham Chase (Conjecture based on Graham's bio of being 40 years old at the beginning of the series. June 1, 1956 is the birthdate of Tom Irwin). 1956 Jack Wood and Viviane go on a Caribbean vacation (Father Figures). 1961 August 31 – Birth of Hallie Lowenthal. (Conjecture based on the age of Lisa Waltz.) 1963 Amber's sister rides on the back of Nicky Driscoll's bicycle. (Halloween) October 31 – Death of Nicholas Driscoll. Ruthie (who's clothes Angela is wearing) and Connie (Nicky's girlfriend) talk. Billy and Nicky want to hang a dummy of Principal Edwards. There are two accounts of Nicky's death. One was that he and his friends were painting the gym black and he was on the rafters and fell onto a girls high healed shoe, the heal of which impaled his nostril. The other was he was hanging a banner that declared his love for a girl. There was a storm that night and Sharon's uncle claimed the electricity went out on the exact moment Nicky died. (Halloween) 1969 Graham attends his first Grateful Dead concert (Father Figures). 1971 May 29 – Amber, Mike (from Boulder, Colorado), and Graham attend a Grateful Dead Concert in Palo Alto, California. (Conjecture based on this being a significant Dead show. The Grateful Dead played a few shows in Palo Alto in 1971. However, Rayanne tells Graham that her mom saw the Dead and they closed with “Cosmic Charley” but that song was not on the actual setlist. Graham says he was there.(Father Figures) 1972 Camille had a crush on a guy freshman year in college, Patty had just been dumped. Patty slept with him. Tracy Kopple told Camille. (Betrayal) 1977 December 26 – Birth of Jordan Catalano. (Conjecture based of Jordan's bio of being “held back” twice. December 26, 1971 is the birthdate of Jared Leto.) '1978' October 15 – Birth of Brian Krakow. (Conjecture based on the age of Devon Gummersall.) December 27 – Birth of Rickie Vasquez. (Conjecture based on assumption of Rickie being fifteen years old in 1994. December 27, 1973 is the birthdate of Wilson Cruz.) 1979 January 18 – Birth of Sharon Cherski. (Conjecture based on assumption of Sharon being fifteen years old. January 18, 1974 is the birthdate of Devon Odessa.) January 25 – Birth of Kyle Vinnovich. (Conjecture based on assumption of Kyle being fifteen years old. January 25, 1972 is the birthdate of Johnny Green.) April 12 – Birth of Angela Chase. (Conjecture based on Angela being fifteen years old at the beginning of the series. April 12 is the birthdate of Claire Danes.) August 8 – Birth of Delia Fisher. (Conjecture based on assumption of Delia being fifteen years old. August 8, 1973 is the birthdate of Senta Moses.) November 5 - Birth of Rayanne Graff. (Conjecture based on her receiving a Birthday card from her father toward the beginning of Other People's Mothers. November 5 is the date of her party (assumed to double as her Birthday party) and based on the assumption of Rayanne being fifteen years old. May 22, 1975 is the birthdate of A.J. Langer.) 1983 The Chases first meet Brian. (So-Called Angels). 1984 Birth of Danielle Chase. (Conjecture on her bio of being ten years old at the beginning of the series. She turns 11 sometime before the events of So-Called Angels. July 30, 1981 is the birthdate of Lisa Wilhoit.) 1987 Brian and his family pass an orange grove on the way to visit his grandmother. (Life of Brian) 1989 Angela put Danielle in the dryer and Neil damaged Graham's Duster car. (Conjecture based on accounts given in Weekend as occurring “so long ago”) January 13 - Marla and Neil began dating. (Weekend) 1990 December 25 – Angela is given a new bicycle. (So-Called Angels. Note - Danielle mentions "Angela got a new bike when she was 11", implying that Danielle has turned 11 by that episode.) '1991' Patty gives Angela her “sex talk”. Angela is twelve years old at the time. (Guns and Gossip) Summer – Angela attends a YMCA camp, where she was kissed by a councilor. Angela's first kiss. (Dancing in the Dark) Jordan begins his Freshman year at Liberty High School. 1992 Chuck becomes ill. Patty takes over Wood and Jones Printing. In the Spring, Chuck was in the hospital, Patty prepared the tax return, Chuck has a near fatal heart attack and diagnosed with diabetes. (Father Figures) Angela attends Patty's cousin's wedding in Milwaukee. She was kissed by an usher. Angela's second kiss. (Dancing in the Dark) Camille attends her 20 year high school reunion. Howard Pick have her Tony's phone number. (In Dreams Begin Responsibilities) Jordan's father hits Jordan for the last time. Jordan threw a chair at him. (So-Called Angels) 1993 Angela begins her Freshmen year at Liberty High School. September 6 – Labor Day. Angela swam out too far at a beach and was rescued by a lifeguard who gave her mouth-to-mouth. Angela considers this her third kiss. (Dancing in the Dark) September 24 – Angela and Patty, Sharon and Camille perform in the Mother-Daughter Fashion Show. (The Zit) 1994 March – Theodore Victor abandons his family. (The Substitute) May 3 – Angela first becomes friends with Rayanne (Other People's Mothers) August 17 - Patty and Graham had sex and watched The Nutty Professor. (Why Jordan Can't Read) August 30 - Angela dyes her hair Crimson Glow. (Pilot) August 31 – Angela quits Yearbook. (Pilot) September 1 – Angela attends a party and talks to Jordan for the first time. (Pilot) September 2 - Angela, Rickie, and Rayanne attempt to go to Let's Bolt. (Pilot) September 5 - Angela, Rayanne, and Rickie recount the events of September 2nd. (Pilot) September 6 – Ms. Marian Chavatal asks for those who are handing in their extra credit experiment on Friday. (Dancing in the Dark) September 7 – Graham and Patty attend their first dance class. Angela visits Brian, but does not help with the experiment (note - there is a calendar in Brian's kitchen showing the month of October but this cannot take place in October due to too many other events in the series taking place in that month. It is presumed that Brian's parents were planning ahead for something in October). Angela gets a fake ID. Jordan kisses Angela for the first time. (Dancing in the Dark). Kyle and Sharon begin their relationship. (The Zit) September 8 – Brian tells Sharon that Angela and Jordan were in Jordan's car, Sharon starts rumor that Angela and Jordan had sex in his car. Rickie's cousin brings a gun to sell and argues with Rickie. The gun goes off in the school's hall. (Guns and Gossip) September 9 – Brian turns in his volumeter experiment. Brian first interrogated by Mr. Foster. Patty attends PTA meeting and meets Amber Vallon. (Guns and Gossip) September 12 – Brian interrogated again. (Guns and Gossip). Earl gives two tickets to the Grateful Dead concert to Graham. Wood and Jones Printing gets an audit letter from the IRS. (Father Figures) September 13 – Mr. Foster threatens to expel Brian. Brian claims he will sue Mr. Foster for harassment if it happens again. (Guns and Gossip). Graham gives the tickets to Angela and Rayanne. (Father Figures) September 14 – Metal detectors are installed at Liberty High. (Guns and Gossip). Patty meets Chuck for lunch. Angela sells the tickets. (Father Figures) September 15 – 4:00 PM is the Chase's appointment with the IRS lady, Ms. Mandeville. Rayanne and Amber attend The Grateful Dead concert. (Father Figures) September 16 – Angela and Rayanne make up. (Father Figures) September 17 – Graham fixes rain gutters and Angela helps. (Father Figures) September 20 – The Poll appears. Patty plans to enter her and Angela in the Mother-Daughter Fashion Show. Sharon talks with Brian in Band. (The Zit) September 21 – Sharon and Angela talk in the Girl's Bathroom. (The Zit) September 22 – Kyle confronts Sharon. (The Zit) September 23 - Sharon and Angela talk again. (The Zit). Vic Racine begins teaching English at Liberty High. (The Substitute). September 24 - Patty and Danielle perform in the Mother-Daughter Fashion Show. (The Zit) September 26 - Angela confronts Mr. Racine. (The Substitute). September 27 - Rayanne attends Mr. Racine's class. (The Substitute) September 28 – Rickie attends Mr. Racine's class. (The Substitute) September 29 - Mr. Racine continues to inspire the students. (The Substitute) September 30 - Mr. Racine continues to teach and gain popularity. Mr. Racine's class writes under candle light. (The Substitute) October 3 – Mr. Racine's class reads work randomly. The poem “Haiku For Him” is read and Mr. Racine decides to print it in the Lit. Graham meets Vic and gets the submissions. (The Substitute) October 4 – Patty confronts Vic. (The Substitute) October 5 - The Lit circulates around Liberty High. Mr. Foster confiscates almost all copies. (The Substitute) October 6 – Mr. Racine quits. (The Substitute) October 7 – Graham confronts Mr. Foster. (The Substitute) October 8 – Angels visits Vic. (The Substitute) October 10 - Angela prints The Lit on her own and distributes copies. (The Substitute) October 13 - (Graham identifies the date as Thursday the 12th. This is the first inaccuracy when converting MSCL time to real time as there was only one Thursday the 12th in 1994 which was in May and we are in October. He is speaking to Patty and it is night time, therefore this conversation must take place the night of Wednesday, October 12th just after midnight. Graham must have realized that the day changed to Thursday but he had not changed the actual date in his head.) Angels writes letter to Jordan. (Why Jordan Can't Read) October 14 – Field trip to a museum. Jordan finds the letter at the museum. (Why Jordan Can't Read) October 17 – Jordan gives Angela the letter. Angela, Rayanne, and Rickie see The Frozen Embryos rehearse. Jordan and Angela kiss. (Why Jordan Can't Read) October 18 – Angela asks Jordan to a movie and to meet her parents, he does not come to meet them. (Why Jordan Can't Read) October 19 – Rayanne and Sharon talk, Jordan and Rickie talk. (Why Jordan Can't Read) October 24 – Sharon's father has a heart attack. (Strangers in the House) October 25 – Sharon and Brian first connect. (Strangers in the House) October 26 – Graham lands the Rosenfeld account. Andy has successful angioplasty. Patty fires Graham. (Strangers in the House) October 27 – Angela and Sharon make up. (Strangers in the House) October 28 – Angela contemplates interpersonal connections. (Strangers in the House) October 31 – Angela, Brian, and Rayanne break into Liberty High at night and get locked inside. (Halloween) November 1 – George custodian lets them out. Patty fires Boyd. (Halloween) November 2 - Patty catches Rickie holding a beer for Rayanne. (Other People's Mothers) November 3 - Angela visits Rayanne at her apartment for the first time. Amber gives Angela a Tarot reading. (Other People's Mothers) November 4 – Rayanne plans a party for Saturday night. (Other People's Mothers) November 5 – The Chase's party and Rayanne's party. Rayanne overdoses on ecstasy and alcohol. Rayanne goes to the hospital. (Other People's Mothers) November 9 - Graham begins wallpapering the bedroom. Brian meets Delia. (Life of Brian) November 10 – Rayanne has been clean for 10 days (note - this is mentioned on the 2nd say of Life of Brian but the dates don't work out). Brian continues to help Graham and debates asking Delia or Angela to the World Happiness Dance. (Life of Brian) November 11 – Brian rejects Delia. (Life of Brian) November 12 – Graham finishes wallpapering. Patty enrolls Graham in the cooking class, Stocks, Soups, and Sauces. The World Happiness Dance. (Life of Brian) November 15 – Sharon breaks up with Kyle. (Conjecture based on her remark as having done so “before midterms”). (Self-Esteem) November 16 – Mr. Richard Katimski begins teaching English and encourages Rickie to join Drama Club. (Self-Esteem) November 17 – The first night of the cooking class, “Stocks, Soups, and Sauces” Class is rescheduled for Friday (Self-Esteem) November 18 – Graham attends the cooking class. Angela, Rayanne, and Sharon go see Buffalo Tom. (Self-Esteem) November 20 – Graham attends the Cooking class again and is asked to teach the class. (Self-Esteem) November 21 – Angela studies geometry with Abyssinia Churchill. Rickie joins Drama Club. (Self-Esteem) November 22 – The Geometry midterm. (Self-Esteem) December 1 - Jordan gives Angela a driving lesson. (Pressure) December 2 – Angela and Danielle get flu shots from Dr. Skulnick. Hallie Lowenthal and Brad begin plans to open a restaurant with Graham. Jordan meets Graham. (Pressure) December 5 – Angela calls out sick. Angela confronts Jordan. (Pressure) December 6 – Angela and Jordan break up. (Pressure) December 7 – Tino quits Frozen Embryos. (On The Wagon) December 8 – Rayanne has been clean and sober for 33 days. (On The Wagon) December 9 – Angela says Frozen Embryos needs to find a lead singer by next Thursday. Rayanne decides to be the new lead singer for Frozen Embryos. (On The Wagon) December 10 – Rayanne attends Frozen Embryos' rehearsal. Rehearsal took place at The Loft. (On The Wagon) December 11 – Rayanne rehearses with Frozen Embryos for the first time. (On The Wagon) December 12 – Frozen Embryos plays at Vertigo. Rayanne runs off stage. Rickie calls Angela and also speaks to Patty. (On The Wagon) December 13 – Patty visits Amber. Rayanne takes her first drink in over a month. (On The Wagon) December 21 - Rickie coughs up blood in the snow. Angel plays guitar. (So-Called Angels) December 22 – Angela questions her parents religious beliefs. Rickie visits the Chase's but leaves. The Chases get a card from the Leveties. Jordan brings Rickie to The Warehouse. Brian quits the position at the Teen Help Line. (So-Called Angels) December 23 – Rayanne replaces Brian on the Help Line. Angela meets Angel. Jordan takes Angela to the Warehouse. Angela finds Angel who shows her were Rickie is. Patty and Graham go to the Police Station, Department of Child Services. (So-Called Angels) December 24 – The police go to the Warehouse. Brian visits the Chase's and calls the Teen Help Line. Angela is taken with the other kids to a church. Patty meets Angel. Patty goes in the church and finds Rickie. Angela, Graham, Danielle, and Brian enter and sit with Patty and Rickie. Angel gets her wings. (So-Called Angels) December 31 – New Years Eve. Everyone makes New Year's Resolutions. (Resolutions) 1995 January 2 – The first day back at school. Graham tells Hallie he will not be doing the restaurant. Rickie stops living with the Chase's. (Resolutions) January 3 – Rickie tells Mr. Katimski he's been staying at Angela's. Angela signs Jordan up for tutoring. Graham and Hallie visit the space where the restaurant will be. (Resolutions) January 4 – Jordan will be tutored by Brian. Rickie discovers his family has moved away. Rickie tells this to Mr. Katimski. (Resolutions) January 5 – Mr. Katimpski visits the Chase's in search of Rickie. Graham decides to do the restaurant. Rickie goes to live with Mr. Katimski. (Resolutions) January 8 – Rayanne was at Angela's practicing for the Our Town audition. (Betrayal) January 9 - Angela wakes feeling free from any thoughts about Jordan. Rayanne auditions for Our Town. Angela starts talking to Cory Helfrick and asks to help paint scenery. Rayanne has sex with Jordan. Brian films them getting into Jordan's car. (Betrayal) January 10 – Rayanne encounters Jordan. Cory invites Angela to help paint and Rickie also agrees to help. Brian tells Sharon that he saw Jordan with Rayanne. Sharon tells Angela. Angela confronts Brian. (Betrayal) January 11 – Rayanne talks to Sharon. Hallie Lowenthal meets with Graham. Rayanne talks to Patty. The selected cast of Our Town is posted. (Betrayal) January 12 – Rickie talks to Angela. Rayanne reads the sign detailing who won the roles in Our Town, indicating she got the part of Emily. (Mr. Katimski said the sign would be posted “on Wednesday”, but Rayanne must have waited to read it.) Rayanne confronts Angela. (Betrayal) January 13 – Patty, Graham, Neil, and Sheryl leave for a weekend trip. Rickie spends the night at Angela's. (Weekend) January 14 – Rayanne comes over to Angela's. Rayanne gets handcuffed to Patty and Graham's bed. Brian and Sharon come over to Angela's. (Weekend) January 15 – They take the bed apart and release Rayanne. Patty and Graham return home. (Weekend) Hallie and Brad break up. (Conjecture based on information provided in In Dreams Begin Responsibilities) January 16 – Angela recounts a reoccurring dream about Jordan. Jordan attempts to apologize to Angela and fails. He asks Brian for advice. (In Dreams Begin Responsibilities) January 17 – Brian gives Jordan additional advice. Jordan uses it to speak to Angela. (In Dreams Begin Responsibilities) January 18 – Brian suggests that Jordan write a letter to Angela. Brian writes it for him. (In Dreams Begin Responsibilities) January 19 – Brian gives the letter to Jordan. Jordan rewrites it and gives it to Angela and she reads it. (In Dreams Begin Responsibilities) January 20 – Angela and Jordan get back together. Rickie comes out to Delia. Graham meets with the investors and they invest. Jordan talks with Patty. Angela confronts Brian about the letter and rides away with Jordan. (In Dreams Begin Responsibilities)